Hit anime/manga Fullmetal Alchemist characters Edward and Alphonse Elric have transformed again, but this time it’s not the result of alchemy.

Edward and Alphonse Elric have transformed again, but this time it’s not the result of alchemy. Sanrio, the company famous for characters such as Hello Kitty, Gudetama and Aggretsuko, and their cute merchandise, have given the characters of Hiromu Arakawa’s hit manga and anime Fullmetal Alchemist a cutesy makeover for a new line of products.

The items are currently available only at the Ichiban Plaza store in the Tokyo Character Street section of the underground shopping centre below Tokyo station, but will go on sale at Kiddyland and Tokyu Hands shops across Japan from December 1.

While the incredibly successful franchise has remained popular long after the manga ended serialization seven years ago, the opening of a live-action film next month and the announcement of a new manga chapter has led to renewed interest in the series. These Sanrio-designed and produced paraphernalia are set to capitalise on this, and, with shrunken bodies and oversized heads, the new goods even make the intimidatingly spiky suit of armour that is Alphonse huggably cute, especially surrounded as he is by kittens.

The prices, excluding tax, range from 380 yen (US$3.39) for ladies’ socks (no sign as of yet of men’s socks, a pity), to 1,000 yen for the zipped pouches, with the drawstring purses coming in at 450 yen, the plastic keyholders at 480 yen, and the metal badges at 600 yen.